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Yeah, I notice his positioning has improved. If he has the puck, you can count on him for a well placed pass most times.

Risto being sick has been good for Nikita's development.

At least the Fins have come to play, unlike the Germans.

Samson with a sweeet PP goal. Man, the Sabres prospects are looking good in this tourney.

Please, God, make Murray put Hodgson on waivers and call up Armia to take his place.

Oh no, a number one goalie. We're doomed.

It's probably what we call "the flu" when it's not a cold. Some kind of virus but not a full-blown in bed for a week influenza. Also, these athletes are in near superhero condition and are young. They're going to recover faster than most of us.

He has little value now as he's still a project. I would be surprised if he is moved at let, let alone for a decent return.

I thought Germany would put up more of a fight. Looking forward to Wednesday's game, ought to be good.

Dudacek, great post on the kind of player Grigorenko and Samson are.

I had to look him up; I thought he might have been Sabres property, too, but I guess I was thinking of the Larkin building. I like him.

Oh boy, I hope we don't draft a German.

10 points better than sh&tty. Which is not McEichel sh&tty. And I know you will say you, personally, haven't said the end-game of the tank is McEichel, you are but a sample point amongst the tankers who ARE looking at McEichel. Not that it matters to me, really, I can live either way, but I feel bad for the people get all upset when the Sabres win and play "well". It's sad. The parameters may be repeatable and but that doesn't mean the parameters or the number they produce have any real value. You can't seriously believe that "luck" can be quantified? Someone chose those numbers as a near-representative of what they think "luck" is. What good is the PDO when, for example, it is low, but the team is on a winning streak? You say time is the variable for PDO, but what good is it when the PDO changes over time? To me, it's like the passenger telling the driver "you're speeding, you will get a ticket" and when the driver gets to their destination they ask the passenger "where's my speeding ticket?". "Well, if you hadn't lowered your speed/if the speed limit didn't increase on our route, you would have surely received a ticket."

Clearly the stats are correct, it's just that the Sabres aren't conforming to them.

Agreed. I've said that around here many times since the upward swing. But, right now, if it weren't for injuries and sickness, the trend was for a strong swing in the direction of winning. PDO is arbitrary parameters meant to explain "luck", as that explanation has us believe. They may as well add in caloric intake on Tuesdays and the coach's shoe size because those parameters are just as meaningful in this measure.

But they're not McEichel awful.

This team was supposed to be leading the CHL. They're not, and there are more aggressive contenders for the top. This is not the tank that the tank people were selling before the season began.

No, you're right. And the first two periods were awful. But they won. WTF? And "the numbers" predicted an awful team, but their record belies that. If THIS trend continues, it tells me all of the predictive stats are missing an element or two.

If the Sabres keep winning, then someone is going to need to come up with a stat or two that accounts for "luck", because all of the stat guys keep saying this team is sh&tty, yet their record indicates they're better than sh&tty. If they wind up with a wild card slot, you might want to keep the stat guys away from windows in tall buildings.

Yeah, that interview, initially struck me as odd, but not in a bad way. Not that I want Stafford re-signed, but his demeanor was not what I have come to expect from Drew. His voice was different, he was really, genuinely happy, and upbeat, but candid all the same. I don't know what to make of it and this interpretation is as good as any. Again, you're picking up on the same things I am. I like May, he's different, and clearly a guy with a lot of "compete" left in him, even if it's vicariously through the Sabres. The transition from the beginning of the season to now is noticeable in his commentary and attitude. Between him and Stafford, there has to be something going on inside the organization and these guys are giving us the vibe of it.

Make a trade for Tavares! It only makes sense!

I just think the situation this season is far more volatile than usual. This Sabres team, in particular, is capable of swinging further to either extreme than many of the past seasons.

I still contend that it's too early to gauge the trends. We really won't know how this is likely to sort itself out until the trade deadline.

I will say...Nolan!

Ho ho ho!